Training husbands is something some wives consider to be another aspect of parenting. It’s not so much that these wives want to change who their husbands are, they just want to train their husbands to be neat and tidy around the house–and there’s really nothing wrong with that!
Why are men so messy?
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Men are messy because they don’t see a need to be otherwise. This isn’t to say all men are slobs, but you show me a husband who doesn’t need to be trained to be neater in one way or another and I’ll show you an Oprah in a mu-mu. Whether it’s putting the toilet seat down (please!), their dirty dishes in the sink or dishwasher (how hard can it be?) or taking their dirty clothes to the laundry (there’s not a laundry fairy at my house), every husband needs to be trained to help out a bit more.
Women, if this is something high on your priority list, then proceed with grace and patience. After all, training husbands to understand cleanliness isn’t rocket science!
How do we train our husbands?
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The act of training husbands to be neater is going to take a bit of planning on your part. Chances are, you’ve let him get away with it–playing the martyr while going around cleaning up behind him. Am I right? If so, then you can’t blame him for thinking that the current system should change. Would you?
But these changes have to come gradually and in the right way. So keeping that in mind, the following is the correct way to approach the deed of training husbands:
- Ask—don’t demand. “Honey, would you mind putting your dishes in the dishwasher after you use them? It sure would help me out a lot.”
- Explain the need. “How can we expect the kids to put their toys away if we (don’t single him out) don’t put things away ourselves? I don’t have time to be picking up after everyone, so let’s really work together on this.”
- Gentle ultimatums. Training husbands to be neat and tidy may be more than smiles and suggestions. You may have to resort to ultimatums: “I will not wash what isn’t in the laundry room. So if you run out of socks because you can’t find your way to the laundry room with them, then that’s just the way it will have to be.”
Make it a family event
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Men have very tender egos and are greatly offended when they don’t feel respected. Respect is everything to a man. So in training husbands to be neater and tidier around the house, you need to make sure you don’t single him out. Make it about having a neater and tidier household with everyone pitching in to do their part. To kick-start, your plan, call a family meeting. The purpose of the meeting will be to read (aloud) The Berenstain Bears Forget their Manners and The Berenstain Bears-The Messy Room. After reading both books, involve the entire family in coming up with your organisation plan.
The ultimate goal
Last but not least, keep your eye on the ball. The goal is not to change your husband, but to train your husband to be neat and tidy for the purposes of helping out around the house more, setting a positive example for your children and showing appreciation and respect for all you do for your family.
Training husbands to be neat and tidy shouldn’t be a tedious task but a fun one. Good luck, ladies and enjoy your tidier home.
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Housekeeping and clearing clutter
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Dividing the housework with hubby
